Dust shrouds have become more commonly used for multiple purposes. Many tasks, such as grinding or cutting cement for example, would particularly benefit from the use of a dust shroud because of the mess which is made while working or because of the potentially hazardous nature of the debris which is generated. Saws, for example, are commonly used for cutting cement, stone, tile or other similar tasks. Without a dust shroud, cement debris is scattered over a wide area. It is desirable to contain the dust which is created for several reasons. It is desirable to contain the dust and debris to keep the workplace cleaner and to minimize the time necessary to clean up afterwards. Fine dust is often created while grinding cement, for example, which spreads a large distance and can be quite difficult to clean up afterwards. It is also desirable to contain the dust and debris to keep the same from getting into the tool itself, causing premature failure of the bearings, motor, etc. Additionally, debris such as concrete dust poses a health risk to the machine operator and others who may breathe it. It is thus desirable to collect the dust to minimize any exposure to the dust.
One difficulty in providing dust shrouds is the fact that each particular tool will have different mounting requirements. For high speed gas powered saws, each saw will typically have a motor, a blade guard, and a handle. For each saw, however, the shapes and positions of the motor, blade guard, and handle vary. As such, the dust shroud must accommodate the particular mounting requirements of the desired tool. Another difficulty in providing dust shrouds is in providing a dust shroud which does not overly interfere with the use of the saw itself.
It is thus appreciated that the requirements for a dust shroud vary according to the particular saw with which the dust shroud is being used. Additionally, a particular model of saw will typically change every few years as new models are introduced. Many stores, however, do not wish to stock many different models of dust shrouds. It is similarly not desirable for a manufacturer to make many different models of dust shrouds, as it increases the tooling and production costs. Individual consumers do not wish to special order a dust shroud and wait for weeks for it to arrive. While universal dust shrouds have become available for some machines, universal shrouds are often limited by the fact that they are marginally suited to any particular saw and often lack the stability and effectiveness which is necessary.
There is thus a need for universal dust shrouds which allow a single shroud to be used with many different brands of tools while still performing properly. Such a universal dust shroud should safely and securely mount to a wide variety of saws while effectively collecting dust and debris and without interfering with the use of the saw.